PAN, Polyateritis Nodosa

[Volker Blaschke]

Well, the thing behind PAN is that blood vessels are being 
occluded/destroyed in an immune reaction involving activated lymphocytes. 
Therefore, since blood vessels are the supply of nutrients/oxygen to 
tissue, when blood vessels are occluded, tissue will no longer be able 
to maintain metabolism and die. This is what causes e.g. skin ulcers.

Since blood vessels are also needed in the nervous system, the disease 
will affect it in just the same way as described above.

-- 
Dr. Volker Blaschke
Dept. of Biochemistry
Dept. of Dermatology
Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany
CompuServe: 74740,50
Email: vblasch at gwdg.de
Tel: xx49 551 39 5959 / 5978 Fax: /5960